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Landscape, Ornamentals, Nursery, and Turf Edition

Seasonal updates on ornamental, nursery, and turf pests.
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April 11, 2014

ABW Part 1: Managing Insecticide Susceptible Populations

With the ongoing ‘heat wave’ forsythia should be in full bloom and overwintered adult annual bluegrass weevil (ABW) should have started their spring migration soon. But no reason to panic. Adult ABW are best controlled when forsythias are half gold:half green, when most of them are on the short-mown turf but have not started laying eggs, yet. And given the reversion to cool weather in the coming week (4/15-18), that will likely not happen until early May in central NJ.

Annual Bluegrass Weevil Adult

Annual Bluegrass Weevil Adult

Annual Bluegrass Weevil Larvae

Annual Bluegrass Weevil Larvae

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Turf
April 8, 2014

Turf Green-up Underway

It has been a long winter and delayed spring this year but yesterday’s rain and that of two weekends ago has “primed the pump” and initiated new growth of many turfgrasses and other plants. Thus, there is no more time to put off yard clean-up. Any leaves, branches and other debris dropped and blown around during the winter should be removed from turfs and other lowing growing landscape plantings. Otherwise early spring growth of plants will be impeded by any debris smothering those plants.

Turf-Green-Up [Read more…]

Filed Under: Turf
April 7, 2014

Goes to Show You Don’t Ever Know

Last week, we saw photographs of cherrylaurel that got pummeled by the winter. Of course, I proved my plant ignorance in the blog post by calling the photos of cherrylaurel, Prunus laurocerasus, mountain laurel, which is Kalmia latifolia. No doubt mountain laurel got hurt in the winter just the same as cherrylaurel did and no doubt I need a better editor!

Winter injured cherrylaurel. Photo: Richard Buckley, Rutgers PDL

Winter injured cherrylaurel. Photo: Richard Buckley, Rutgers PDL

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Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Plant Diagnostic Lab Tagged With: , , ,
April 3, 2014

SFMANJ Spring Field Day Apr 22, 2014

The Sports Field Managers of New Jersey (SFMANJ) Spring Field Day covers topics such as the fertilizer law, weed control, irrigation, grasses, and field maintenance.

Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Location: South Delsea Park
152 South Delsea Drive, Glassboro, NJ
Registration Flyer

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Turf
March 30, 2014

Frosty Finally Melted Part 2

Despite a winter that tormented us, most plants did pretty well in the snow. While there was plenty of mechanical damage from several heavy snow storms, the snow accumulation actually protected many plants. Snow cover helped to prevent winter desiccation, particularly in plants lucky enough to have been buried, like turfgrass. It also kept the ground in many locations from a hard freeze, which helped provide much needed moisture to the landscape. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Plant Diagnostic Lab Tagged With:
March 23, 2014

Frosty Finally Melted!

Last week, the cats from John Deere had me up to the northern tier of NY for John Deere University and we had a blizzard! This week I was in Lake Placid with my friends at NYSTA and the morning temperature was something like -7°F. All I could think of was “How do I get winter speaking gigs in Florida instead of upstate NY?!”

A healthy, but winter dormant turf area. Photo: Richard Buckley, Rutgers PDL

A healthy, but winter dormant turf area.
Photo: Richard Buckley, Rutgers PDL

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Plant Diagnostic Lab, Turf Tagged With: ,